Park Service To Begin Killing Rock Creek Park Deer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The National Park Service is ready to start using sharpshooters to kill deer in Washington's Rock Creek Park.

The park service says it will begin killing deer Wednesday night. Sharpshooters will work in the overnight hours from late Wednesday through early Saturday morning.

The effort to reduce the deer population in the park was delayed after an animal rights group filed a lawsuit to prevent the killings. A judge ruled in favor of the park service earlier this month.

The park service considered several options but ultimately decided the deer population needed to be reduced to protect plant and animal habitat. The park has more than 70 deer per square mile, and the plan is to reduce that number to no more than 20 per square mile.